Together We Will Live Forever
by brokenclaw
Summary: After Kate's death, Neal is in a tragic accident. He is still grieving over Kate, and finally says goodbye with her favorite song, Together We Will Live Forever.
1. Chapter 1

(**Author's Note: **Hi guys. So this is my very first fanfiction story. If the title sounds confusing, it will eventually lead into a Clint Mansell song called "Together We Will Live Forever". That's coming towards the end though. No slash. And I greatly appreciate any reviews! Please review, because otherwise there isn't really a point for me to continue! And also, so I don't get sued, I don't own White Collar or anything related to it! Hope you like my first attempt at fanfiction!)

_If there had ever been a time, it was now. Life was just no longer worth living without Kate, his beloved Kate. She was gone, cruelly disappearing when they were so close to being reunited. Why did he need to live anymore, when the one person who had understood him, knew the real him, was...dead?_

Neal had been standing on the roof of the old, abandoned warehouse for at least an hour. Although in his head he felt perfectly ready to throw himself off of the top of the building, he would come to the edge and find that he just…couldn't. Something, seemed to pull him back, and he didn't know why. After repeating this cycle a couple of times, Neal finally let out a sound of frustration and sank to his knees, now a few yards from the edge of the roof. _Why was this so hard? _Now that Kate was- was dead, his reason for living was destroyed. Tears began to find their way down his pale but handsome face. As if in response, the sky, cloudy and dreary up until then, opened up, soaking Neal with freezing cold rain. The grief-stricken man ignored it though, and relived that horrible day, not for the first time.

_ The plane. It was standing there, carrying the love of his life. Kate had always joked about them being "soulmates", but in that moment, Neal honestly could have believed it. When he got on that plane…he and Kate would be reunited again, and they could start over and live their lives again. But Neal was tired of running. He always was, always would be. He turned to face Peter, those words on the tip of his tongue. _

_ The flames. Explosions rocked the entire area, throwing Neal off balance. He remembered Peter catching him, holding him from running into the inferno. He remembered Kate disappearing before his very eyes, forever. He remembered the numbness that followed. He remembered realizing that he should have been on that plane._

Sitting in the thunderous downpour, Neal allowed the grief and despair take over his body, trembling as sobs shook him. "Kate…Kate." He murmured the name aloud, remembering her beautiful smile, those sparkling eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

(**Author's Note: **Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! I'm really glad you like it, so here's chapter 2. Neal isn't really thinking straight today…I'm going to try to add a new chapter every day. Please read and review! And once again, I don't own White Collar. So please don't sue me Jeff Eastin! Hope you like this chapter everyone!)

"Neal?" FBI Agent Peter Burke crossed over to where his younger consultant sat sobbing quietly in the rain, and crouched down next to him.

"Peter. Wh-what are you doing here?" The older man gently lay a hand on Neal's shoulder. "I think _I'm_ the one who should be asking _you_ that. What's wrong? I saw your location from the anklet, and I wanted to check on you."

For the first time, Neal looked up, blue eyes, although slightly dead looking, staring at Peter distraughtly. "Today was- was her birthday. I told her that today…we'd fly to Paris. See the Louvre…" No one had to tell Peter he was talking about Kate. Silence followed, with both ignoring the rain, and Peter's hand still resting comfortingly on Neal's shoulder. "I'm- I'm tired of living with the guilt, Peter. Every day I think about it…I want it all to end." Shocked, Peter didn't say anything, not even knowing _what_ to say. The silence continued for a few minutes, both men ignoring the rain. Neal spoke again. "It's all my fault." A tear slowly rolled down his face, followed by more.

Peter had never seen Neal so upset and distraught. He was trembling, not just from grief, but also cold. Somehow without Peter realizing it, he had lost weight and become paler. Seeing all of this shook Peter's heart and he took off his own jacket and gently placed it around Neal's thin frame. Then, he tried to console him. "Listen Neal, it's not your fault. Nobody knew what was going to happen to the plane, okay? Don't blame yourself. Can you honestly look me in the eye and tell me you want your life to end?" He knew his voice sounded just a bit too harsh, but then again, Peter was never good at the whole comforting thing. He tried to be a little kinder. "You've got so many people here who care about you Neal. There's me, El, June, Mozzie…You're not alone. So why don't we get you inside and dried off, alright?"

He wasn't prepared to see the anger flashing in the younger man's eyes as he leapt to his feet, shaking off Peter's hand from his shoulder. He wasn't prepared for Neal to sprint back to the edge of the building, then spin around and face him. He wasn't prepared to hear the harsh words soon to be thrown at him.

"What the hell do you know, Burke? You don't know a single damn thing about me, you got that? Kate got me through _everything_: my mom's suicide, my dad's cancer. _You've_ had everything perfectly planned out in your life. College, your job, Elizabeth. You don't know what it's like to always be on the run. Kate understood. She's the only one who did. But now…I'm just a criminal with nowhere to go." For a minute or two, Peter was just shocked to silence by Neal's furious outburst, to see the venom in his eyes. At first, he had only felt sadness, not realizing how Neal had been living with Kate's death, how he had envied Peter's happy life. This was quickly followed by a burst of anger. What about their friendship? After all, it was Peter who'd gotten Neal out of prison! "Neal, aren't you forgetting our friendship?" He spoke softly and advanced towards him slowly, not wanting to anger him further, seeing as he was right on the edge of the roof. "You're my best friend and I don't want you to kill yourself. We've worked on so many cases together. And June's like a mother to you. She would be so upset if you died, not to mention Mozzie and Elizabeth." Peter was desperate to get Neal away from the rooftop, out of the rain, and into safety. "I'm your…best friend?" Neal looked slightly surprised. "Of course!" replied Peter, relieved that some of his words had gotten through. "And…June would be sad if I…died?" Suddenly, Neal was realizing what Peter had been trying to tell him. "Hell yeah! So come on buddy, let's get out of the rain okay?" At last, the former conman looked convinced.

During the conversation, Neal had been standing with the backs of his shoes protruding off of the rooftop, his front facing Peter. But when he tried to take a step forwards, towards safety, his foot slipped and he went…backwards. It must have been the slippery surface from the rain but he went flying off the rooftop crying "Peter!" while all the agent could do was sprint to the edge of the roof calling desperately "Neal!" and stretching out a hand too late.


	3. Chapter 3

(**Author's Note:** Wow, I never expected for so many people to like this story! Thanks for all your reviews so far. I'm glad you are finding it interesting. A lot of you didn't want me to kill Neal, so don't worry, I don't plan to. Although you never know where a story will take you…so stick around. So here's chapter 3. As always, let me know what you think! I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. Enjoy!)

"Peter!" The words tumbled from Neal's lips as he himself tumbled down, wind whipping his face. He couldn't see, couldn't hear, couldn't feel. Couldn't comprehend. All he knew was that he was falling. Falling…But wait, now he was sinking, into blackness and oblivion while pain overtook all of his senses.

As soon as Peter realized there was nothing he could do to stop Neal's plummet downwards, he ran back to the door of the warehouse and dashed down the stairs, taking them two at a time. He willed Neal to somehow be breathing, to be alive, although he knew very well the chances were slim. Since he hadn't jumped though, there was a possibility that he had landed in the lilac bushes, taking some of the impact from his fall. Cursing at nobody in particular for not having installed working elevators, he sprinted down the stairs, taking them two at a time while he pulled out his phone and frantically called the first person who came to his head. "Jones, it's Burke. Neal's injured. I need you to get paramedics to the warehouse on the corner of 15th and 9th. Hurry!" He hung up without waiting for a reply. By this time, Peter had made it out the door and was approaching the unmoving man.

"Neal…oh God Neal, please be alive." Neal lay ominously still. Miraculously however, he had sunk into the bushes, preventing him from being killed on impact if he had landed on the marble merely feet away. Peter couldn't feel too relieved though, because of the state Neal was in. His face was pale, eyes closed. One arm was twisted grotesquely. One leg was bent at a strange angle. His ribs were probably broken or at the very least cracked. Gently, Peter reached out to feel for a pulse. He found one. "Oh thank goodness."

Peter knew he had to get Neal off the lilac bushes, which were beginning to give way. He carefully put an arm under his neck and around his shoulders, and lifted Neal off like he would a child. As gently as possible, Peter laid him on the hard ground, cradling him and rearranging the jacket to shield him from the rain. "Neal, wake up…come on Neal, open your eyes." He was practically begging now, and tears streamed down his face. At long last, he was rewarded by Neal's blue eyes fluttering open. "Neal!"

"Wha…?" Neal looked dazed, which wasn't surprising. Almost immediately, his eyes began to close, and he began to lose consciousness again.

"Neal, you've gotta stay awake, okay? You can't go into shock." He was fearful that if Neal blacked out again, he might never wake up. Something about the urgency in Peter's voice must have kept him from slipping back into darkness. Neal's uninjured hand reached out and grasped Peter's. "Don't…go…"

"It's alright buddy, I'm staying right here. Just stay with me here. The paramedics will be here in a minute and they'll get you fixed up." As if on cue, his cell phone rang. It was Jones.

"Boss, the paramedics should be right there. I'm following behind them. What happened to Neal?" The concern and confusion was obvious in Jones' voice.

"He fell off the roof. He's barely breathing right now." _And it's all my fault_, Peter thought to himself.

"I'll call your wife and have her meet us at the hospital. They're taking him to Greater New York Hospital."

"Okay. Thanks, Jones." Peter hung up and turned his attention back to Neal.

"Neal, are you still there? Talk to me." At last, he could hear ambulance sirens!

"Right here…hurts…cold…" It was impossible to imagine the pain Neal was in right now.

An ambulance screeched to a halt right next to them. Two medics jumped out, carrying bags of equipment. Another two were unloading a stretcher. A few seconds later, a silver car pulled up, with Jones rushing to the scene.

"Don't worry Neal, the ambulance is here. You're gonna be alright, I promise." There was no time to dwell on the fact that this entire accident was all his damn fault. Instead, he had to release his grip on Neal's hand, moving aside so that the paramedics could get oxygen and an IV in him. Jones, looking very concerned for Neal, walked over to stand next to Peter.

"I already talked to Elizabeth. She'll meet you at the hospital. I have to get back to the office because there's been an important breakthrough in on of our cases, but keep me posted on Neal. Do you want me to drop you off at the hospital? Someone will get your car later."

"No, I have to stay with Neal in the ambulance!" Peter ran over to the ambulance where the paramedics were gently loading Neal into. "Can I ride with him?"

"Of course, you can sit with him in the back."

The hospital ride was a complete blur to Peter. All he knew was that he was holding Neal's hand, constantly reassuring him that everything was okay. Neal's eyes stayed shut the whole time.

As soon as the ambulance arrived at the hospital, Neal was rushed to the operating room for emergency surgery. Peter hadn't realized how serious his injuries were. A nurse kindly led him to the waiting area, where Elizabeth was already waiting. Elizabeth immediately threw her arms around him. "Oh honey…is Neal going to be okay?"

"I don't know El. I really don't know."

"Oh God…" Elizabeth's voice trailed off as the tears came. Peter couldn't stop the tears in his eyes either. Not knowing if the man that was his best friend, who was sometimes his brother, sometimes his son, would be leaving the hospital alive, they collapsed into chairs and waited for news.


	4. Chapter 4

(**Author's Note:** Wow, we're at chapter 4 already! I'm glad you've all been enjoying the story. I know this chapter is a lot shorter than chapter 3, but I wanted to leave a sort of cliffhanger at the end…so let me know what you think! Enjoy!)

Patience did not come easily to FBI Agent Peter Burke, but he usually managed to keep it together. Not this time. Not when his best friend's life was questionable. Not when he didn't know if the man who he sometimes thought of as his son was in the operating room, struggling to survive the accident that Peter had caused, would make it. After all, they were Peter's words that had driven Neal to the edge of that building.

Peter was pacing the tiled floor of the hospital waiting room anxiously awaiting news about Neal's condition. Elizabeth sat in one of the hospital chairs, one foot tapping, looking up hopefully every time a nurse walked by. Four hours had passed and there was still no news on Neal. It was 11:30 at night. The Burkes should have been exhausted, since it had been a long day for both of them. But they didn't feel any fatigue, just distress. Peter had approached one of the nurses, asking if she could update them on the status of Mr. Neal Caffrey.

"I'm sorry sir; he's still in the operating room. We'll inform you of his condition as soon as he is moved to a room."

June had called Peter anxiously at 10:00, asking if he knew where Neal was, as he had said he would be home at 8:00.

"June…he's in surgery right now. He fell off the roof of a building…We don't know too much about his condition."

The older woman had desperately wanted to come to the hospital and be with the Burkes, but she was watching Samantha all week and couldn't leave her at home by herself. Peter assured June that it was alright, and he'd call her as soon as he learned more about Neal's condition. June also told him that she would call Mozzie and tell him what was going on, as he had been concerned.

It was now past midnight. Peter had lost track of how many coffees he and Elizabeth and consumed, but they were still awake. And waiting.

At long last, a nurse walked in. "Mr and Mrs. Burke? Your friend Mr. Caffrey is out of surgery, but he's in critical condition. For now, he's in the intensive care unit. Would you like to see him?"

"Yes, of course we would!" Both Peter and Elizabeth had jumped to their feet as soon as the nurse had walked in, and now they followed her as she led them to Neal's room.

Peter knew Neal was injured badly. He had seen the accident, known that the man had gotten beaten up pretty badly.

Elizabeth had also realized that Neal was definitely going to be in pain. There would be broken bones for sure, and IVs.

But neither of them could ever have imagined how Neal looked when they walked into his room.


	5. Chapter 5

(**Author's Note: **So here's chapter 5 everyone! As usual, I'd love to hear what you think! Enjoy, and please review.)

_Special thanks to Lia Walker and Ultracape for their helpful comments so far!_

"Neal…" Elizabeth's voice trailed off, as she clutched her husband's hand. Peter himself couldn't speak, and seemed to be frozen in place by the scene in front of them.

Part of it was the stillness. Neal could have passed for dead if all of his monitors weren't proving otherwise. His familiar blue eyes were shut, face scarily pale. The only sound came from the steady beeping of his heart monitor.

Elizabeth had never realized someone could be so…broken. Because that was all she saw when she looked at Neal. His right leg was encased in a cast, and propped up. The other foot was also bandaged. His left arm was now in a sling, his other in a cast. On his face was an oxygen tube, snaking around to the back of his head. There were wires too, IV lines and other ones, keeping Neal alive. Pillows supported his neck and back. She knew that he was broken on the inside too. His heart. No amount of painkillers could heal his grief, but Elizabeth knew that they would help him get through it. And eventually…he would.

Peter felt sick. Looking at Neal…it was like he had personally broken his limbs, caused the bruising on his face, taken the color and life from his face. Peter's shoes seemed to be frozen to the floor, preventing him from moving any closer to Neal than the doorway. The younger man looked like he was in so much pain, lying still and limp on the bed.

"Excuse me; are you Peter and Elizabeth Burke?" Standing behind them was a tall, 40-something man wearing a long, white coat. "I'm Dr. Bradley, Neal's doctor."

"It's nice to meet you," choked out Peter. No it wasn't. If Neal had never fallen, they wouldn't have had to meet at all.

Dr. Bradley gave the two a reassuring smile. "I just wanted to tell you that Mr. Caffrey is in the best possible care. As you can see, he is badly injured right now. The surgery went pretty well however, but there is still a long way to go. Mr. Caffrey has a lot of painkillers in him, so he will be asleep for a while longer. I'll be around to check on him in a little bit."

"Thank you, doctor." whispered Elizabeth, still holding Peter's hand. Dr. Bradley placed a comforting hand on her shoulder for a moment, then left the room.

The two Burkes walked over to Neal's bedside, and sat down in the two chairs on either side of it. Peter took Neal's free hand, while Elizabeth gently stroked his black hair. For a while, neither of them talked. They just looked at the sleeping face of a man who had turned from a criminal to Peter's best friend. Waiting for him to wake up so they knew he was still there.

Finally, Peter spoke. "El, this is all my fault." His wife tried to interrupt, but he continued. "On top of the roof…he was there because of Kate. He didn't want to live anymore. And then I said something stupid because I was trying to get him to come back inside, but he got angry…so he went to the edge…But I tried to convince him to get off the edge except he slipped. If I hadn't made him so angry he never would have fallen." Peter didn't try to hide the tears in his eyes.

"Honey…it's not your fault, okay? This whole thing goes back to Kate, and there was nothing you could have done to prevent that accident. Besides, if you hadn't gone there, he would have jumped by himself…and that would be worse. We just have to help him get over Kate." Elizabeth hadn't heard this part of the story before, but she still knew that Neal would probably have killed himself if Peter hadn't shown up to talk to him. This was one of the times she was thankful for his tracking anklet, and Peter's habit of checking his location every so often.

Peter was about to reply, but then they noticed Neal stirring.

"Hey Neal, can you open your eyes?" Peter asked. The weak man let out a soft moan, as his eyes slowly flickered open. He slowly looked at his surroundings, looking slightly dazed.

"How are you feeling, sweetie?" El asked softly.

The injured consultant attempted to speak. "Peter…I…s'rry…"

The two Burkes exchanged glances before Peter replied. "Don't worry kid, it's not your fault okay? Don't worry about any of that right now."

Neal murmured something else that they couldn't understand, before slipping back to sleep.

Everything…hurt. That was the first conscious thought Neal had upon waking. His entire body felt like it had been pelted with bowling balls. Or maybe two ton boulders. Either way, he didn't think he would be able to move a muscle without passing out again from pain. He could feel Peter holding his hand that wasn't resting in a sling. Neal really didn't want to open his eyes, but he could hear the voices of Peter and Elizabeth coaxing him to, so he managed it with great difficulty. Everything seemed to be spinning. How strange. Through tired eyes, he could see the two Burkes sitting on either side of him, with worried expressions on their face. Neal wanted to talk to them, to apologize for causing this much trouble. "Peter…I…s'rry…"

Peter had told him not to worry, that it wasn't his fault. Too weary at the moment to argue, he tried to say, "Tell Moz I'm okay." before drifting off into blackness again.


	6. Chapter 6

(**Author's Note:** Sorry this chapter is so short! I was trying to describe how the days would feel for anyone close to Neal. In this chapter, everything is pretty much a blur, days just passing. Let me know what you think!)

Days passed. Neal remained in the same weakened state, usually sleeping. In his restless sleep, he would murmur Kate's name, as well as things like "too late", "all my fault", and "sorry". Often he would have nightmares, waking up panicked, but always to see the comforting presence of Peter and Elizabeth.

Days passed. Jones had visited twice, but couldn't be with Neal much more than that because he was working on an important case. Hughes had sent flowers and a card, with the signatures of everyone in the office. Diana was still out of town.

Days passed. June and Mozzie came by frequently, giving the two exhausted Burkes some time to go back to their houses for a shower, change of clothes, a few minutes of sleep, and a quick bite to eat. They were usually back not more than a few hours later, too worried about Neal to take any longer than that.

Days passed. Every night, Peter and Elizabeth sat by Neal's side, comforting him when he woke up in terror from the nightmares his medication caused. Reassuring him that everything was alright. Calling the nurse sometimes, when the pain caused Neal to moan in agony, not able to move.

Days passed. Being out for so long in the rain on the day of the accident was something that hadn't struck anyone as important at the time. But it was flu season. Neal developed a fever, which the nurses hadn't thought was too bad. He was given the right medicine for it. But it wasn't enough. His fever and flulike symptoms worsened, eventually developing into pneumonia. The doctors placed him on a ventilator, as his lungs were infected.

Days passed. Nowadays, no one was sure how many of them were left.


	7. Chapter 7

(**Author's Note:** I'm sooo sorry I took forever to update! I've been super busy, but I finally finished this chapter. I'm not sure if I should end it here or not, so please let me know in your awesome reviews (which I'm really glad you write)! So without further ado…chapter 7!)

Neal was confused. He drifted in and out of a strange sleep for days. Sometimes, when he looked over to his side, he saw Kate sitting next to him. Neal tried to reach out to touch her, to know that she was there, Kate vanished. What? He wanted to speak, to ask someone what was going on, but he couldn't. Actually, there wasn't much he _could _do. Neal felt like his body was being weighed down by an invisible force, preventing him from opening his eyes, or moving around.

Neal couldn't really understand what was going on around him. One time, he felt himself coughing violently, while there was a horrible pain in his throat. He felt like he was choking, but then fell unconscious again. All the while he thought of Kate. His beautiful Kate…tears fell soundlessly down his face, and Neal felt a gentle hand brush them away.

"Mr. Caffrey is making slow but steady progress. He has been doing well since we took out the ventilator." Standing outside the hospital room, Dr. Bradley sounded pleased with how Neal's recovery was going.

"When do you think he'll be able to come home?" Elizabeth Burke asked, looking more relieved than she had in 3 weeks.

"Right now, I think we can release him in a week or so, depending on if he regains some more of his strength. He will be on crutches for a while though, and he'll need to come in for physical therapy once a week."

"Okay, thank you Doctor." The two Burkes said goodbye to Dr. Bradley as he went to another patient's room, then entered Neal's room, taking up their usual place on either side of him .

Neal certainly did look better. His face, although still marked with a few cuts and bruises, looked a little less pale than before. He was even awake, although his eyes still looked dazed from the medications, and of course, the loss of Kate.

After the nurses had removed the ventilator, he had been able to speak a few sentences, but was just too weak to do anything more. Now, a few days later, he smiled at them and said, "Hi guys."

"Hey Neal, how are you feeling kid?" After learning that Neal was improving a lot and could be released soon, Peter sounded very enthusiastic.

"Little better…still really tired." Although Neal's eyes were open and comprehending, he still sounded completely exhausted.

"Well I've got some good news for you. You're getting out of here in a week!"

Neal seemed to perk up a little, looking more awake. "Really? Good timing…miss June's Italian roast."

Peter and Elizabeth exchanged glances, neither one wanting to break it to Neal that they and June had decided it would be best if Neal recovered at the Burkes', where there were two people who would be able to lift him if there was an emergency.

Luckily, neither of them had to explain this to the younger man lying on the bed, as he had already drifted to sleep murmuring, "Miss you…Kate…"

Elizabeth looked worriedly at Peter. "Peter, how are we going to get him over Kate? Especially with his medications…" Her voice trailed off.

"I don't know, El. But we'll get him through it."

They both sat in silence then, until June had come to stay with Neal, making sure Peter and Elizabeth went home to get some rest.

Now, a week had passed and Neal was set to leave the hospital soon. While Peter and Elizabeth discussed a few things with the nurses, June sat with Neal in case he woke up.

"June?" Neal feebly tried to lift his head up to see the older woman sitting by his side.

"Hi, Neal dear. Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah…still kinda dizzy. Can't wait to go home, miss the coffee." Neal smiled weakly.

"Actually sweetie, we're going to take you to Peter's house so you can get better there, okay?"

"But…"

"I'm sorry Neal, but if anything happens to you, Peter and El can help you. Plus, you won't be by yourself." June spoke kindly, but firmly, knowing that Neal would probably try to charm her into changing her mind. This time however, he complied.

"Oh, alright." Neal seemed too tired to try to arguing. It wouldn't have mattered anyway, because Peter, Elizabeth, and Dr. Bradley walked in, with the doctor rolling a wheelchair.

"Hey buddy, you ready to go home?" Peter had a smile on his face.

For a moment, Neal thought about the scene before him. There were three people in front of him, who all cared about him and wanted him to recover. He was going to go to a house with two people who would help Neal if he needed it, and would protect him.

Slowly (and rather painfully) trying to sit up, and aided by El and June, he smiled back and softly said, "Yeah."

(**Author's Note (again)**: So…should I end it here? Let me know what you think!)


	8. Chapter 8

**(Author's Note: **Okay, well after reading everyone's reviews, I decided to continue the story! Also, I realized that I hadn't even gotten Neal over Kate yet, so the story just didn't feel complete. Alright…here's Chapter 8 everybody! You know what to do…review! Thanks so much for everyone's reviews so far- I reallllly appreciate it.

Quick note: Due to the fact that school's starting soon (gulp), I probably won't have a lot of time to write, so updates will not be as frequent. Although, I guess they weren't really that frequent anyway. Haha.)

The two hour car ride to Neal's new temporary home was rather uneventful. With the help of the nurse, Neal was carefully helped from his wheelchair into the backseat of Peter's car. With him was a pair of crutches. Neal was wearing a cast on one arm, and was stitched and bandaged on the other. Luckily, the doctor had said he'd be alright on crutches, since Neal wasn't supposed to be moving around more then necessary.

By the time Peter had pulled into the Burke's driveway, Neal had fallen asleep with his head resting on Elizabeth's shoulder. The motherly woman had sat next to Neal in the back seat during the drive, kindly helping him fasten his seatbelt, and running her fingers through his hair while he drifted to sleep. Now, she gently woke him.

"Neal, wake up sweetie. We're home."

The young man slowly opened his tired blue eyes. " 'K."

Peter had come around to the side of the car and opened the door. "Alright Neal, let's get you inside."

With a murmur of consent, Neal painfully stumbled out of the car, guided by the FBI agent.

"I got it." Neal tried to hobble up the pathway to the door by himself. Before he could take more than a step on his crutches however, he went pale and started swaying. Luckily, Peter had known Neal hadn't "got it" and quickly grabbed the other man to hold him up.

"Nice try, Neal."

Now that he was leaning heavily on Peter with most of his weight being supported by the agent, the two men slowly made their way to the door, where Elizabeth held it open for Neal.

Peter helped the ex-conman over to the couch and carefully lay him down.

"Do you hurt, Neal?" Concerned, El took his hand. A faint nod from him confirmed her thoughts.

"Okay sweetie, you can take your pain meds then go to bed." The Burkes had spent the afternoon converting their study into a spare bedroom, so that Neal wouldn't have to go up any stairs.

After Neal had painfully swallowed the pills, Peter guided him over to the newly converted bedroom, where the younger man looked surprised. "You did this…for me?"

"Yeah, well it wasn't too bad. We just figured you wouldn't want to go up and down stairs all the time." Peter helped Neal lay down as he spoke, resting the crutches against the foot of the bed. El had followed the two, and she gently tucked the covers around the young man's weak frame, while Peter watched gratefully. After she gently kissed Neal on the forehead, the two Burkes quietly left the room, as Neal was already drifting back into a medicated sleep.

By now, the time was 10:00, so Peter and El decided to go to bed. They brought down two rarely used sleeping bags from the attic which they placed in the living room, right near Neal's room.

Although they were both exhausted after running around all day, the couple knew that if Neal called out in the middle of the night, they would be awake in an instant. It was a good thing too, because a few hours later, they woke abruptly to his frightened cries.


	9. Chapter 9

(**Author's Note:** At long last…chapter 9! So sorry I took so long to update, but my teachers seem to find joy in assigning mountains of homework (especially geography- ugh). Anyway…review as usual! I just wanted to thank everyone for their reviews so far- I appreciate it SO MUCH! Enjoy the chapter!)

_Kate was trying to tell him something, but he couldn't hear her. There was a look of terror on her face, and he wanted to touch her, wanted to comfort her. But there was an explosion, he was flying, and now…falling. Into blackness, without Kate. "Kate…where are you?" he called desperately. Suddenly he hit ground, and there was Kate. Skin pale, eyes closed. "Kate? KATE! Wake up!" But she wasn't waking up…she wouldn't wake. A haunting melody played in the background. It sounded so familiar…and beautifully sad. So sad… He started sobbing, hearing voices from far away calling his name…He just wanted to escape everything._

Just as concerned parents would run if their child was calling them at night, Peter and Elizabeth jumped at the sound of Neal's devastated cries and went to his room, not knowing what to expect.

There, they found the young man lying on the floor, sheets twisted around him, eyes screwed shut. Elizabeth bent down next to him.

"Neal, honey?" She ran a hand through his tangled, dark hair. "Peter, can you lift him back onto the bed?"

As gently as possible, the FBI agent picked up the injured man and placed him on the bed, saying, "Neal, it's okay now. Me and El are here."

Neal clutched Elizabeth's hand and spoke at last. "Kate…fell…plane…I'm gonna die…"

"Sweetheart it was just a bad dream. You're safe now, you won't die. Just relax, you can go back to sleep." The maternal woman continued to stroke his hair and soothe him, while Peter placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. No one spoke for a long time. El gently wiped away Neal's tears until he drifted off to sleep.

But even though he was asleep, neither of the Burkes moved. They knew they were going to stay with Neal for the rest of the night, in case he needed them again.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**Author's Note:** Finally- an update! Once again, I apologize for the delay. Without further ado…chapter 10! Please review- it means a lot. =D

Peter sat at the kitchen table, drinking his morning coffee with the paper. He needed the caffeine boost; the past two nights had been spent (at Elizabeth's insistence) sitting with Neal through the nightmares that wouldn't stop. His broken leg prevented him from being able to move, the painkillers blurring his thoughts. Peter felt sorry for Neal now, as he thought about how much torture the young man must be going through right now. Kate had been the only constant in his life…even if she wasn't the best choice.

Right now, the younger man was sleeping in the bedroom, due to his overall exhaustion combined with the pain meds. Satchmo sat protectively next to the bed, sensing that Neal was sick and needed someone to watch him.

El had left for work, though she'd done so regretfully. The maternal woman's instincts told her to stay with the weak man, but the important gala started at 11 so she had no choice but to leave Neal under Peter's supervision.

While Peter cleared the table, his cell phone rang. "This is Burke."

"Burke, it's Hughes. How's Ne-Caffrey doing?"

Peter smiled to himself as he heard his boss almost refer to the ex-conman by his first name. Although no one in the office ever admitted it, they all seemed to have become fond of Neal.

"He seems a little better, but right now he's asleep. I don't think I'm gonna be able to make it today, because El had to go to work."

"Don't worry about it. There's not much going on right now."

"Thanks, Hughes. I'll talk to you later."

Hanging up, the FBI agent decided to go check in on Neal. It was almost 10 and he hadn't heard anything from the bedroom.

Knocking on the half-closed door, Peter called softly, "Neal?"

Hearing a reply, he entered the room. Propped up on the bed was Neal, looking a little pale and in pain, but better than he had been in a while.

"Morning Peter."

"Hey Neal, how're you feeling?"

"Better, actually. Think I should take some pain meds though…my leg's killing me."

"Okay, but not on an empty stomach. Let's go into the kitchen and I'll make you some toast." Peter moved forward to help Neal up, but the consultant hadn't seemed to register what he'd just said. "Neal, you there? Hello?"

Neal's head snapped up. "Sorry Peter. I was just thinking…" He didn't need to complete the sentence.

The two men stayed silent for a few minutes-awkwardly for Peter and wistfully for Neal-before the younger man snapped to reality. "Do you have any coffee?"

A few hours had passed, and the two men sat in the living room after lunch. Neal was half-lying on the couch, and Peter was leaning back in the recliner. Both were dozing off, when Neal suddenly spoke up. "It was her favorite song, you know…"

Startled by the sudden burst of conversation, Peter sat up. The doctor had warned him that the medicine would put him in a slight daze and confusion, so he decided to see where this would go. "What song, Neal?" he asked gently.

"It was our song. She said it was about us…how we were gonna get married and live…called Together We Will Live Forever."

Peter fell back in his chair, not knowing what to say, what words could heal the hole that had ripped through Neal's soul. So he said the first thing that came to his mind, hoping it would help Neal get over his grief. "Can I listen to it?"

**Another Quick Author's Note:** Just to let you know, I plan to write two more chapters of this, and then epilogue. Can't believe it's coming to an end so soon…


	11. Chapter 11

(**Author's Note:** I do apologize for the extreme lateness of this chapter, as I have been extremely busy. However…this is it! Final chapter of Together We Will Live Forever. To everyone who reviewed: thank you so much! You have no idea how much it means to me. Special thanks to MaraudingSnitch1314 for kindly reviewing every single chapter. I never thought I would get more than 50 reviews! Thanks for reading and reviewing everyone

And now…final chapter. Hope it's to your liking. Please let me know what you think!)

Neal Caffrey stood on his balcony, on a particularly nice evening, leaning n his crutches. A whisper of a breeze floated in the air as the sun slowly set, casting a golden touch on everything.

Neal leaned on the banister, glass of red wine on a nearby table…thinking of the events of a couple of days ago…the days he had learned to let go, and move on.

_Flashback_

_ Can I listen to it?_ The words had struck the conman like stone. How could he expect Peter, a tough federal agent, to understand what it had meant to him. Because it had meant her. Kate. The last link to her memory…the last thing he had left of her. It was something Neal thought he wanted to keep to himself.

But with the song kept inside him, so did the pain. The grief. The loneliness. The despair.

Honestly, Neal was tired of it. He wanted to let out all the anguish, and move on. But it was hard when no one knew what he was going through. Although he was ashamed to admit it, be wanted help.

So he said something that surprised Peter- and himself.

"Yes."

_Yes_. One little word, one little syllable, had Peter stunned. Neal Caffrey was confident, good with women, and intelligent. But he never admitted any weakness, or asked for help.

Except…now he was.

After all this time, Peter and Neal weren't just FBI Agent, and Consultant. They'd become best friends. Family. Sometimes father and son. Which meant that now, Peter was here for Neal. He'd help him through this, no matter what.

"How's he doing?" El's soft voice appeared next to Peter, standing outside the door to Neal's room. It had been a long afternoon, filled with tears and grief. Neal cried, El cried for Neal, and even Peter felt so sad and sorry for the younger man. At long last, the mental exhaustion combined with physical pain had Neal drifting to sleep, soothed by Elizabeth. Then, Peter gently lifted him-shocked at how light Neal had become-and carried him to his bedroom.

"Well he finally told someone, so he's getting better…I think he'll get over her, El." Peter replied at last.

"I hope so too."

The next morning, Peter and Elizabeth were quieter at breakfast then they usually were. They sat in silence over toast and coffee, not wanting to disturb Neal, who had slept all night. As if in response to these thoughts, the bedroom door creaked open and out hobbled the consultant, looking a lot brighter than he had in a while. Peter rose to help him into a chair, as Neal said, "Good morning guys."

Trying not to act overly surprised, El replied, "Good morning sweetie. How are you feeling?"

Neal smiled as if he knew the deeper meaning behind those words. "A lot better."

_End of flashback._

The last traces of sun were in the sky, creating a beautiful combination of deep pinks, reds, and gold. Neal felt a lot calmer than he had in a while. After all of the tears, and listening to the song, he had found he'd been able to say goodbye. At Kate's grave the previous afternoon, he had placed a single rose on her grave, and whispered, "Goodbye, Kate. One day, we'll live together forever."

And he truly believed this.

It was getting slightly breezier, and Neal decided to head back in, where June was making dinner. But before he went inside, he looked up at the sky and smiled.

_The End_

(**Author's Note:** So here we are…the end. I really enjoyed writing this, and I hope you did too. I would love for you to review my story! Did you like the ending?

I'm hoping to start another story soon, but on what, I have no idea.)


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